Novel roles for β‐arrestins in the regulation of pharmacological sequestration to predict agonist‐induced desensitization of dopamine <scp>D₃</scp> receptors

Abstract

Pharmacological sequestration of D3 receptor accompanies movement of cell surface receptors into a more hydrophobic fraction within the plasma membrane and renders D3 receptor inaccessible to hydrophilic ligands. Pharmacological sequestration is correlated with desensitization of the D3 receptor in a Gβγ- and β-arrestin-dependent manner. This study provides new insights into molecular mechanism governing GPCR trafficking and desensitization.